Washing machine agitator with adjustable vanes



June 18, 1968 c. A. COBB ETAL 3,388,570

WASHING MACHINE AGITATOR WITH ADJUSTABLE VANES Filed Oct. 10, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 l h 24 ll i i I 1 v MW k L W1 1% I I; Z

52 2/ v 3 149 i I Ivy i IE 1 1 1% i a E 25 I L z! 20 I 9 3 INVENTORS 1 /F70/\/ 4 [055 BY a 4 4 2 ATTORNEYS June 18, 1968 c. A. coss ETAL 3,388,570

WASHING MACHINE AGITATOR WITH ADJUSTABLE VANES Filed Oct. 10, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 204/. oveze INVENTORS CZ/Fra/v 4. Case Fuu. /'/v M/DPZ #044007 5442K faewnsd f $2352?) K 1 0 54 /s awn a 22 1 E 5 m I I I Z ATIURAVY' United States Patent ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLGSURE An adjustable vane agitator including a center post, a skirt and one or more radially extensible vanes supported thereby. The radial extension of the vanes may be selectively adjusted and positively locked by manipulation of a center post-mounted control to vary the degree of washing action caused by oscillatory movement of the agitator.

This invention relates generally to washing machines and more particularly to a washing machine having a rotatable agitator with one or more radially extensible vanes thereon and including means for selectively and positively adjusting the radial disposition of the vanes upon rotation of the agitator about its axis of rotation.

An object of the invention is to provide means enabling the overall radial dimension of the vanes to be easily and quickly adjusted merely by rotating the agitator. Thus the vanes are moved radially inwardly or outwardly as the agitator is turned in one direction or the other.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for simply and easily locking the vanes in place after they have been so adjusted by moving the agitator axially. Thus in order to change the radial adjustment of the vanes the agitator is first moved axially upwardly to an unlocked position, then rotated in one direction of rotation or the other to move the vanes radially inwardly or outwardly, and then moved axially downwardly to lock the vanes in their adjusted position.

Another object of the invention is to provide indicating means in an easily observable and convenient location on top of the agitator to indicate the degree of agitation of the washing action as a function of the radial disposition of the vanes.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a plurality of radially movable vanes on the agitator and manually operable means for simultaneously adjusting the radial disposition of all the vanes in equal incremental amounts.

Many other features, advantages and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description which follows and the accompanying sheets of drawings, in which preferred structural embodiments incorporating the principles of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example only.

On the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical elevational view of a washing machine constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention with portions of various wall members cut away and other parts shown in section to reveal the relative disposition of various parts of the agitator;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of the agitator assembly of the machine of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of the agitator taken along lines IIIIII of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the agitator assembly with certain parts removed for clarity;

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FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of an index ring of the agitator; and

FIGURE 6 is a graph which illustrates the degree of washing action as a function of vane extension.

As shown on the drawings:

Although the principles of the present invention are applicable to a variety of agitation and washing mechanisms a particularly useful application is made to household washing machines of the agitator type. An illustrative embodiment of such a washing machine having a vertically disposed agitator and constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is shown in FIGURE 1 and indicated generally at reference numeral 19.

Some of the principal parts of the washing machine 10 include an outer cabinet 11 having a plurality of levelling legs 12 mounted respectively at the four corners of a bottom wall 13 for supporting the machine on a :floor or other suitable support member. A hinged door 14 is provided for gaining access into the interior of the machine 10 through a top wall 16 thereof having an access opening formed therein.

Situated within the washing machine 10 at about the elevational midpoint is a horizontal support wall 17 securely fastened to the walls of the cabinet 11 in order to support a vertically upstanding cylindrically shaped imperforate tub 18. The lower end of the tub 18 is closed by a bottom wall 19 which includes a central portion 20 shaped conically and extending upwardly toward an apex situated on the longitudinal axis of the tub 18.

The upper end of the tub 18 is open and disposed therewithin is a complementarily shaped but somewhat smaller perforate receptacle or basket 21. A bottom wall 22 of the basket 21 is situated in spaced relation to the bottom wall 19 of the tub 18 and includes a central portion 23 which extends in generally parallel relation to the central portion 20 of the tub wall 19.

The upper end of the basket 21 is also open in order to receive material to be laundered through the top wall 16 of the cabinet 11. During a washing operation the tub 18 receives a quantity of laundry liquid as well as detergents, additives and the like which may be desired. A shroud 24 overlies the upper ends of the tub 18 of the basket 21 to facilitate the loading and unloading operations.

During a washing operation the material to be laundered is immersed in the laundry liquid and subjected to a washing action which results from the rapid and turbulent agitation of the material and the laundry liquid within the basket 21.

Such agitation is conferred by an agitator assembly 26 which is disposed within the basket 21 and which, during a washing operation, oscillates about a vertical axis to impart a scrubbing and rollover action to the material and turbulence to the laundry liquid.

The agitator assembly 26 is oscillated by a vertical drive shaft 27 which extends upwardly from a lower portion of the washing machine 10 through a central aperture 28 formed in the horizontal support wall 17 and into an upstanding cylindrical sleeve 29 which extends upwardly from the conical portion 23 of the basket 21. The lower end of the drive shaft 27 is connected to a suitable oscillating mechanism which may preferably be driven by an electric motor.

Referring to the enlarged views in FIGURES 2 and 4, the agitator assembly 26 of this invention is more particularly characterized as comprising a tubularly shaped inner drive shell 30 which is slipped downwardly in surrounding relation over the drive shaft 27 and the sleeve 29. An upper end of the shell 30 is frusto-conically shaped as at 31 and includes a downwardly depending concentrically aligned tubular portion 32 having an inner wall 33 properly machined so as to receive in driving engagement a. splined upper end 34 of the drive shaft 27. The inner shell is securely fastened to the drive shaft 27 by means of a suitable fastener such as a threaded bolt indicated at 36.

A bottom end 37 of the inner shell 30 is open to receive the sleeve 29, and extending radially outwardly and downwardly therefrom is a skirt 38 formed integrally therewith and situated in substantially parallel relation to the conical portion 23 of the basket bottom wall 22 (FIGURE 1).

The agitator assembly 26 further comprises an outer driven shell or centerpost 39 having an inner diameter slightly oversized with respect to the outer diameter of the shell 30 such that the shell 29 can be moved easily slidably in telescoping fashion over the inner shell 30.

The outer shell 39 is adapted to be driven in an oscillating motion by the inner shell 30 and to provide a driving coupling therebetween a lower portion 40 of the outer shell 39 is of an enlarged diameter and has formed on an axially extending segment of an inner wall 41 thereof a plurality of circumferentially spaced lands and grooves as indicated at 42 and 42a in FIGURE 2 as well as in the vertical sectional view of FIGURE 3.

Complemental lands and grooves as at 43 and 43a are formed on the periphery of the inner drive shell 30. In the relative positions of shells 30 and 39 shown in FIG- URE 2 the lands and grooves 42 and 43 are in mesh or driving engagement with one another as a result of which the two shells will rotate or oscillate together. It should be noted, however, that if the outer driven shell 39 is moved axially upwardly a short distance the lands and grooves of shells 30 and 39 would no longer be in meshing engagement and the outer shell 39 would be free to rotate about its axis independently of the inner shell 30.

Normally the lands and the grooves of shells 30 and 39 are in axial alignment (meshing engagement) with one another not only because the axially movable outer shell 39 is urged downwardly gravitationally but also as a result of the biasing effect of a spring member 44 which is hottomed at its lower end on a washer 46 abutting a radial shoulder formed by a top wall 47 of the shell 39 and bottomed at its opposite end on a circumferentially continuous outturned flange 48 formed on a bracket 49. The bracket 49 is mounted in fixed assembly on the upper end 31 of the inner shell 30 by means of the threaded fastening device 36.

Thus while the outer shell 39 can be lifted axially such that the lands and grooves 42 and 42a thereof are moved out of meshing engagement with the lands and grooves 43 and 43a of the inner shell 30, the normal relative disposition of shells 30 and 39 is as shown in FIGURE 2 whereat the two shells are corotatably or drivlngly interconnected.

The actual agitation of the fabric or other material to be laundered and the laundry liquid is accomplished by one or more agitation vanes which project radially outwardly from the centerpost or outer driven shell 39. The number of agitation vanes may vary and in the exemplary embodiment herein shown consists of three vanes which are spaced 120 circumferentially around the outer shell 39.

In the drawings the vanes are all identical and are indicated respectively at reference numerals 49. Each of the vanes 49 comprises a flat or disc-shaped structure which is relatively thin in horizontal cross-section and which is shaped in a front elevational view in the form of a parallelogram, having two vertical sides 50 and 51 and two other sides 52 and 53 which slope radially outwardly and downwardly in parallel relation with the skirt 38 formed at the bottom of the inner shell. 30.

The vanes 49 are separate, individual structures made of either rigid material such as molded plastic or of elastic or resilient material such as rubber or polyethylene or polypropylene or synthetic rubber material. The bottom side 53 of each of the vanes 49 is supported on the skirt 38 of the inner shell 30 and the vanes are relatively adjustable with respect to the shells 30 and 39.

In order to maintain the vanes 49 in an upstanding position, a plurality of guides 54 are formed on the enlargde diameter portion 40 of the outer shell 39. Each of the guides 54 comprises a pair of horizontally spaced vertical side walls 56 and 57 which extend upwardly from the skirt 38 and a top Wall. 58 which slopes radially and downwardly from the outer shell 39 in parallel relation to the skirt 38.

An outer end 59 of each of the guides 54 is open to receive one of the vanes 49, and thus each of the guides 54 forms a guideway into which its corresponding vane 49 can easily slide, being supported from below by the skirt 38.

In FIGURE 2 a vane 49 is shown in full lines in an extended position with respect to the guide 54, that is, with the radially outermost end 51 of the vane 49 protruding substantially beyond an outermost end wall 60 of the guide 54. The vane 49 is also shown in dashed lines in its retracted position, that is, with the radially innermost end 50 thereof abutting the enlarged diameter portion 40 of the shell 39.

In the retracted position of the vane 49 of the outer end 51. thereof extends just beyond the outer end 60 of the guide 54. The corners of the vanes 49 as well as the corners of the sides 56 and 57 of the guides 54 are somewhat arcuately shaped to prevent damage to the fabric or the like being agitated.

The guides 54 extend radially outwardly from the outer shell 39 a distance which is almost equal to the corresponding radial length of the vanes 49 such that when the vanes 49 are in a fully retracted position the agitating effect is accomplished almost entirely by the guides 54 themselves. Thus the guides 54 may be characterized as fixed or permanent agitation vanes as contrasted with the movable vanes 49.

It will be appreciated that means may be provided for radially guiding the movable vanes 49 other than the fixed vanes 54 as shown but in a preferred embodiment movable vane guides also serve themselves as agitation vanes and the movable vanes 49 actually serve as extensions of the fixed vanes 54.

The radial disposition of the movable vanes 49 determines the degree of agitation to which the laundry liquid and fabric material is subjected, assuming a constant oscillating speed of the agitator assembly 26. If the movable vanes 49 are retracted as far as possible the agitation action is relatively subdude or gentle. However, when the movable vanes 49 are extended as far as possible the agita tion action is appreciably more vigorous. Thus by adjusting the radial disposition of the movable vanes 49, the agitation action can be varied from gentle to vigorous.

In accordance with the principles of this invention the radial disposition of all of the movable vanes 49 can be adjusted simultaneously and in equal incremental amounts by a simple manual adjustment of the centerpost or outer shell 39 of the agitator assembly 26. In order to provide this salutary feature of the invention a series of segmental helical cam slots as shown respectively at reference numeral 61 are for-med in the skirt 38 of the outer shell 39. The number of slots 61 corresponds to the number of movable vanes 49 and each of the slots provides a pair of interfacing axially extending side walls 62 and 63 which provide respectively cam surfaces for guiding a cam follower 64 which projects from the bottom wall 53 of each of the movable vanes 49 into its corresponding slot 61. In the illustrated embodiment seen in FIGURE 2 each of the cam followers 64 comprises a short stud 66 which extends through the skirt 38 and an enlarged head 67 formed at the lower end of the stud 66 below the skirt 38 to keep the cam follower 64 in place in the slot 61. It will be apparent that other cam and cam follower means could be used. Thus, raised ribs could be provided in the skirt 38 in place of the slots 61, with corresponding notches to engage the ribs being provided in each of the vanes 49.

Assuming that the centerpost or outer shell 39 of the agitator assembly 26 is drivingly disengaged from the inner shell 30, and thus rotatable relative to the skirt 38, to vary the radial disposition of the vane extensions 49 relative to the fixed vanes 54 it is merely necessary to rotate the outer shell 39. For example, if the centerpost is rotated in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 4 (wherein the vanes have been removed for clarity) the cam surfaces 62 and 63 of the various slots 61 will move the movable vanes or vane extensions 49 radially inwardly, thus providing a gentle agitation action. Conversely, counterclockwise rotation of the outer shell 39 will have the effect of moving the vane extensions 49 radially outwardly, thus providing a more vigorous agitation action.

In the relative positions of the shells 30 and 39 as vie-wed in FIGURE 2, since the lands and grooves of the coupling 45 are in meshing engagement, the vane extensions 49 are locked with respect to radial movement. In order to reposition the vane extensions 49, the outer shell 39 is raised axially upwardly to disengage the driving connection between the two shells 30 and 39, and then the shell 39 is rotated in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction about its axis, depending upon whether a more gentle or vigorous agitation action is desired. The shell is then released to move downwardly, whereupon the meshing engagement of the lands and grooves of the coupling 45 again serve to lock the vanes 49 in radial adjustment.

In order to facilitate the raising and turning of the outer shell 39 for adjusting the vane extensions 49 a cylindrical cap 68 is threaded on an upper end 69 of the outer shell 39 whereby the shell 39 can be easily grasped by the operator of the machine from the top end 16 of the cabinet 11 (FIGURE 1).

Another feature of the present invention resides in the provision of an index ring 70 fixedly secured to the top of the outturned flange 48 of the bracket 49 for corotation with the inner drive shell 30. As shown in FIGURE 5 suitable indicia such as a series of numbers is formed on a top wall 71 of the index ring 70 in vertical alignment with a glass Window 72 mounted in an imperforate medallion 73 securely fastened to the cap 68 across the top end thereof. The window 72 is sized so that only one of the numbers marked on the index ring 70 is visible at any given time. As shown in FIGURE 4, the medallion 73 has marked thereon a pair of arrows and a legend for indicating the direction of rotation of the centerpost 39 for either a more gentle or vigorous agitation action. As the centerpost 39 is rotated the number on the index ring 70 appearing in the illustrated embodiment, for example, when the number 8 appears in the window 72 the vane extensions 49 are adjusted to provide the more vigorous agitation action. Similarly, when the number 1 appears the agitation action is gentle.

The vane extensions '49 may be made of rigid or flexible material. In addition it is not necessary that the vanes be sloped downwardly as illustrated but instead the configuration of the agitator assembly 26 can be such that the vanes 49 extend horizontally radially outwardly. An important advantage of the agitator assembly 26 of this invention is that it can be installed on existing washing machines of the vertical agitator type which employ an agitator assembly utilizing fixed vanes only.

FIGURE 6 illustrates graphically the variation in washing action which results from the adjusta'bility of the vane extensions 49. A criterion of washing action is the number of instances per unit of time that a piece of material being washed in an agitator-type washing machine rises from the bottom of the basket 21 (FIGURE 1) to the top of the laundry liquid and rolls over to descend again to the bottom of the basket. In FIGURE 6 rollover per unit of time is plotted against the amount of extension of the movable vanes 49. As noted, with the movable vanes 49 fully retracted the magnitude of rollover may the in the order of five or less per unit of time. If the vanes 49 are extended about half way, rollover may be in the order of between 20 and 25. With the vanes 49 in a full out or fully extended position, which provides the most vigorous agitation action, rollover may be in the order of 65 or more.

Another advantage of the present invention resides in the fact that for a given angular rotation of the outer shell 39 relative to the inner shell 30 all of the vane extensions 49 move simultaneously and an equal distance. As a result not only is the agitation effect provided by each vane changed by the same amount, but also the agitator assembly 26 is more evenly balanced with respect to the radial forces imposed thereon thus maintaining the washing machine 10 in a more balanced condition.

Although minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that we wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such modifications as reasonably come within the scope of our contribution to the art.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A washing machine comprising,

a receptacle for receiving material to be laundered,

a rotatable agitator assembly in said receptacle comprising a vertical tubular outer driven shell open at the bottom end thereof,

a relatively rotatable vertical tubular inner drive shell in said receptacle telescopically received within said outer shell through the open bottom end thereof,

a radially extending skirt formed on said inner shell below said outer shell,

a plurality of guides formed on said outer shell,

a plurality of vanes guided for radial movement in said guides,

a radially varying cam surface formed on said skirt for each of said vanes, and

a cam follower on each of said vanes cooperable with a corresponding cam surface to adjust the radial disposition of the vanes with respect to the outer shell upon relative rotation of said outer shell and said inner shell about their axis of rotation.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said guides each comprise a stationary vane and are adapted to guide the radial outer ends of their corresponding movable vanes radially outwardly beyond the radial outer ends of their respective stationary vanes.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 and including a plurality of slots formed in said skirt wherein the radial walls of the slots comprise the cam surfaces, and

wherein said cam followers each extend into a corresponding slot to be moved radially by the walls of the slot.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein each of said cam followers comprises,

a stud which extends through the skirt in its corresponding slot, and

an enlarged head formed on the stud on the side of the skirt opposite the vanes to maintain the cam followers within their corresponding slots.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 and including,

cooperable coupling means formed on said outer shell and on said inner shell for corotatably engaging said outer shell and said inner shell in a first axial position of said outer shell relative to said inner shell, said cooperable coupling means being disengaged in a second axial position of said outer shell relative to said inner shell whereupon said outer shell is rotatable independent of said inner shell.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 5 and including,

means normally biasing said outer shell to said first axial position thereof relative to said inner shell.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said coupling means comprises,

a series of axially extending lands and grooves formed circumferentially around the periphery of said inner shell, and

a series of complemental lands and grooves formed around the inner periphery of said outer shell and drivingly engageable with the lands and grooves formed on said inner shell,

said lands and grooves extending axially a given distance such that an axial movement of said outer shell relative to said inner shell will disengage the lands and grooves of the two shells.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 and including,

indicating means for indicating the radial disposition of said movable vanes as a function of the relative rotatable disposition of said two shells.

9. In a washing machine,

a rotatable driver member,

a rotatable agitator shell movable axially relative to said driver member between first and second positions and having a vane guide formed thereon,

a vane carried by said vane guide for radial movement relative to the axis of rotation of said agitator shell, cooperating coupling means formed on said agitator shell and on said driver member for alternately drivingly connecting and disconnecting said driver member and said agitator shell for providing respectively joint and relative rotation therebetween as said agitator shell is moved axially relative to said driver member between said first and second positions, and cooperating vane adjusting means formed on said vane and on said driver member for radial adjustment of said vane upon relative rotation of said agitator shell and said driver member.

10. The washing machine as defined in claim 9 and including,

means mounting said agitator shell on said driver member in both said first and second positions thereof.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein said cooperating vane adjusting means comprises,

radially extending cam surfaces and cooperating cam follower means formed on said driver member and on said vane.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 9 including a radially extending skirt formed on said driver member, and wherein said cooperating vane adjusting means com prises radially extending cam surfaces formed in said skirt and cam follower means formed on said vane.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 9 and including biasing means normally biasing said shell axially toward said first position thereof into driving relation with said driver member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,796,528 3/1931 Lyons 68-134 2,130,542 9/ 1938 Giddings.

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,035,614 4/1953 France.

WILLIAM I, PRICE, Primary Examiner. IRVING BUNEVICH, Examiner. 

